


The Open Window

by conceptstage



Series: Single Chapter Critical Role [62]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-22
Updated: 2019-03-22
Packaged: 2019-11-28 02:55:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18202553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/conceptstage/pseuds/conceptstage
Summary: Beau confronts Caleb about his choice in the Empress' throne room.





	The Open Window

“Beau,” Caleb started, knocking on the room she and Jester shared at the Bright Queen’s palace and gently pushing it open. “Are you decent?”

“I’m not naked, if that's what you mean, but ‘decent’? Arguable.”

Caleb rolled his eyes and opened the door all the way, stepping inside. “You haven’t come to dinner. Jester was worried.” He spotted her facing away from him, standing in front of the large, arched open window as he shut the door behind him.

“Then why did you come instead of her?”

“She had, and I’m quoting her here, ‘a food baby’ and was having trouble standing. I was feeling uncomfortable in such a social setting so I offered to come in her stead. Are you alright?”

Beau snorted, amused, and shook her head. “Yep. Fine. Fan-fucking-tastic. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“There is more food downstairs than I have seen in my entire lifetime and many, many beautiful drow women to flirt with, and you’re up here. It’s just a bit strange, ja?” Beau didn’t answer but pushed herself away from the window and walk to the bed. It didn’t look like it’d been slept in. “Beau-”

“It wasn’t your decision to make.” Her voice was eerily steady. Caleb had never seen this side of Beau. She didn’t seem angry, she seemed… sad.

“Beau, I had to make a split second choice, I just-”

She interrupted him again. “We came here to save Yeza. Now we’re involved in this bullshit war, on the wrong fucking side, and I’ll never-” She cursed and picked up her rucksack from the bed, throwing it across the room so hard that it hit the wall with a clatter. 

“What if it’s not the wrong side? The other side has the Cerberus Assembly, are they the right side?”

“And this side steals kids! They’re both shitty sides! I didn’t want to get involved with either side!” she yelled, glaring at him.

“That was never an option, Beauregard,” Caleb argued, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Unless you were prepared to leave Wildemount or make drastic career changes, we could only delay our involvement for so long, especially considering we had a god in our backpack. We pushed it back for as long as we could and then the time came to make a choice. They were going to find it if we were captured, giving it to them willingly put us in a better position.”

“It put you in a dangerous position.”

It wasn’t Beau who’d spoken. He and Beau looked at each other, their eyes widening, and then they turned to look at the window to find a white haired drow standing on the sill. She took a step in the room and her disguise slipped away.

Beau took a sharp breath in through her nose. “Dairon.”

“Beau, I believe we spoke not four days ago about staying low and out of sight.”

“It wasn’t my idea, there was this asshat who attacked us a few days ago and he-”

“I don’t care. Why didn’t you tell me that you had the artifact?”

“Because I thought you would have tried to take it.”

“Of course I would have, I couldn’t have left such a thing in your friend’s hands, they might have done something-” she turned to Caleb and glared at him with an anger that practically burned through his face. “-stupid. Stupid, like give it back to the Cricks.”

“Krynn,” both Beau and Caleb said at once, the reaction drilled into them by Jester.

Dairon sneered. “Excuse me?”

“Crick is…” Beau paused and cleared her throat, suddenly realizing that Dairon hadn’t actually wanted an answer. “Crick is a slur.” She shook her head and started walking towards her mentor. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to take you away from these morons you’ve aligned yourself with.”

Beau frowned. “What? No, I can’t-”

“You can’t take her away,” Caleb interjected. “We need her.”

“If you truly cared about her, you wouldn’t have put her in this position,” Dairon walked forward and put herself between her student and the red headed wizard. “What do you think they will do to her when they find out who she is. She is a monk of the Cobalt Soul, she’s a trainee of the Expositors, she is in more danger here than any of you realize. And you have put her in that position.”

Caleb stepped forward and his fingers started glittering with a spell Beau didn’t recognize. “I’m not going to let you take her.”

Dairon grit her teeth and curled her hands into fists. “I’d like to see you stop me.” She took a menacing step towards Caleb but before either of them could throw an attack, Beau hit Dairon in the back of the neck and then again at the base of the spine. Dairon’s muscles started to tighten and she found herself unable to move. “Beau! What are you doing?”

“I’m not going with you,” she said, stepping in front of Caleb. She grabbed his glowing hand and knocked it down. “Put that shit away, asshole.” Caleb frowned at her and dropped the spell just as Dairon regained her movement. “Dairon, I’m not going anywhere. I may not agree with their choices all of the time…” she paused and turned back to look Caleb over before amending herself. “... most of the time, but I believe that this is the best path for me. I’m not abandoning this.”

Dairon glared at her but turned sharply and started towards the window once more. “Very well. When you discover your mistake, I will be waiting. I only hope you’re still alive to regret it.” She leapt out of the window and disappeared into the night.

Beau sighed and marched over to the window, shutting and locking it. “Are you hungry? I’m starving. Let’s go.”

“Beau-”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” She started towards the door and held it open, waving her hand sarcastically when he didn’t move to follow her. “You gonna hang out in here all night? Let’s go.”

Caleb frowned but nodded and stepped out of her room. They walked together down to the dining room to join in the festivities.


End file.
